Ukraine’s military has a “stable connection to Starlink,” the Ukrainian government said, 10 days after its access to the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted. The Starlink satellite terminals, made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, are a vital part of Ukraine’s military operations. Sudden speed limits on the terminals, which capped operations at 160km/h (99mph), caused several Ukrainian combat missions to fail earlier this month. The military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones was hindered, and some Ukrainian operations to strike behind enemy frontlines were cancelled. Russia was able to launch ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from the US. The speed limits coincided with Donald Trump’s announcement of a US deal to buy Russian diesel, although the US president initially denied that his administration was behind the decision to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine. “I don’t know if it was anybody, but it wasn’t me, and I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said, referring to Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive. However, US secretary of state Marco Rubio appeared to cast suspicion on Musk when he defended Trump last Wednesday. “The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr Musk,” Rubio said. “That’s a private company. The president doesn’t run that company and can’t direct that company to do anything.” Musk was quick to blame the limits on Starshield on the Trump administration, writing on X last week that the systems were “owned and controlled by the US government.” “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately Potus [president of the United States],” he wrote. View image in fullscreen Musk blamed the limits on Starshield on the Trump administration, writing on X that the systems were ‘owned and controlled by the US government.’ Photograph: Evan Vucci/Reuters US vice-president JD Vance backed Musk on Thursday, saying the billionaire “doesn’t want to get in the middle of what is a war between two state actors without the United States government effectively directing him on what to do.” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blamed both parties: “It was a message from [the] American government to limit the speed … And technically, SpaceX did it.” There were no similar restrictions on Starshield terminals in EU countries and they applied only to Ukraine, he added. “In other words, this is a planned operation.” He said the decision would “bring a lot of human losses … of course people would die.” skip past newsletter promotion Free newsletter | Every day Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning’s main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day Enter your email Sign up after newsletter promotion Trump, Musk, Zelenskyy: who is blaming whom in the Ukraine-Starlink row? Read more Announcing the restoration of the system on Saturday in a diplomatic video address on the Telegram app, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to his US allies, including Trump and the US state department, for resolving the operational issue: “The most important development for today is that Starlink and Starshield have resumed operations at their pre-restriction speeds. The speeds are now at the level we need.” The restoration began overnight. “By this morning, the speeds were already sufficient for operational use,” Zelenskyy said. “This is very important and significant for our frontline logistics and for defending Ukraine against jet-powered Shaheds.” On Thursday, Trump had claimed the service was running again at full speed, but a European official speaking to the Associated Press denied the service was fully functioning. When asked by reporters whether he would tell Musk to stop âSpeaking on Friday about interference with Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the US president said: “I haven’t spoken to him. I might have to … I heard it was fixed. But if it’s not, I’ll speak to him … If there’s a problem, I’ll get it sorted out.” He then described Musk as a “very brilliant” and “very good” person.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Ukraines Military Says Starlink Connection Is Stable After Recent Restrictions
1 What happened with Starlink and Ukraines military recently
Starlink the satellite internet service run by SpaceX introduced some new restrictions on how its service can be used After that Ukraines military said its Starlink connections were still working normally
2 What is Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet system Instead of cables it uses thousands of small satellites in low orbit to bring internet to places where regular networks are slow or missing
3 Why does Ukraines military use Starlink
It gives soldiers reliable internet on the battlefield even where phone and cable networks are destroyed They use it for communication drone operations and coordinating units
4 What were the recent restrictions
SpaceX limited some uses of Starlink mainly to stop the service from being used on weapons and longrange drones The exact rules are set by SpaceX and have changed over time
5 Did the restrictions cut off Ukraines military internet
No Ukraines military said its connections stayed stable The restrictions mainly affected certain unauthorized or weaponrelated uses not normal military communications
6 What does stable connection mean here
It means the service kept working without major outages or slowdowns Units could still communicate and operate as before
7 Who controls Starlink
SpaceX the company founded by Elon Musk owns and operates Starlink Ukraine does not control the network itself which is why SpaceXs rules matter
8 Can SpaceX switch off Starlink for Ukraine
Yes in theory SpaceX controls the service and can limit or block access Thats why Ukraine and its allies have worried about depending on a private company
9 Why is this a sensitive issue
Because Ukraines military relies on Starlink any change in access is a security concern It also raises questions about how much a war effort should depend on one private company
10 What is a geofence and how does it relate to Starlink
A geofence is a virtual boundary Starlink uses them to limit where service works If a terminal is used outside an approved area the connection may be slowed or cut
11 What is a terminal
Its
